The Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois (AGA) is working to build strong
partnerships with funeral directors throughout Illinois. By working
together, funeral directors and the AGA can preserve dignity and discretion
for every family when making final arrangements for loved ones.

Whole body donation through the AGA offers financial benefits to donor
families by limiting funeral and burial expenses and may be beneficial for
those who have strained financial resources. The AGA assumes the expense for
cremation, and if desired, the respectfully return of cremains.

For remarks on whole body donation by one of the Chicago area’s most
prominent funeral directors, see
Mr. Spencer Leake, Jr.
in the Conversations section of the AGA Web site.
We appreciate your cooperation and assistance in facilitating donations to
medical science through the AGA.

Donation Procedure

Please review this information
before transferring a body for donation to the AGA

The AGA requests that, when possible, donors’ unembalmed remains be
transported to the AGA within 72 hours after death to ensure the condition
of the donor is acceptable. If your funeral home does not have
refrigeration, please contact the AGA as soon as possible to transfer the
donor and decrease the likelihood of decomposition. If a family is
interested in holding a service for their loved one, please contact the AGA
to discuss the logistics and embalming procedures. Do not embalm the body
without first contacting the AGA.

If you need assistance
after business hours (Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) please
email
info@agaillinois.org and staff will respond
as soon as possible or leave a message at 312-733-5283.

Transfer during
business hours (Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM):

All jewelry and person items
should be removed and returned to the family. The AGA is not responsible
for returning any items left with the donor.

Upon arrival, ring the bell by the Funeral
Directors entrance. An AGA staff member will let you in to the facility.
DO NOT use the door code to enter the facility during business hours.

An AGA Funeral Director will inspect the
body and accompanying paperwork to determine the donor’s eligibility for
the program.

You

MUST
bring a document identifying the donor. If you are unable to acquire
all of the required documents at the time of transfer, we request
that either the Donor Enrollment form or Authority to Cremate form
and the cause of death are present.

Transfer after hours:

If
you are unable to transfer a donor during business hours, the AGA can
provide you with a pass code to our facility after-hours. Please call
during business hours (312-733-5283) to verify the pass code and inform
us of the name of the donor and approximately what time you will be
arriving.

If the death occurs over the weekend and you do not have the door pass code, please
email info@agaillinois.org.

When you arrive at
the AGA:

You MUST bring a document identifying the
Donor. If you are unable to acquire all the required
documents at the time of transfer, we request that either the Donor
Enrollment form or Authority to Cremate form and the cause of death
are present.

Place
paperwork in plastic sleeve on the table with the body, and place
the table in the cooler.

Make
sure the door to the cooler is completely closed and turn off
interior cooler light.

Turn
off light on your way out and make sure the exterior door closes
securely behind you.

The
AGA will notify you the next business day if the donation cannot be
accepted.

Required Documents

The AGA requests that, when
possible, donors be transported to the AGA within 72 hours after death to
ensure the condition of the donor is acceptable. Upon transfer of the body,
the funeral home MUST provide a
copy of the Donor Enrollment form or the Authority to Cremate form. If
possible, the cause of death should be present upon arrival; an IVRS
worksheet or unsigned death certificate will be accepted. If any documents
are not present at the time of arrival, paperwork should be sent by fax or
mail to the AGA as soon as it is
acquired. If the decedent has appointed a Power of Attorney, please
provide this paperwork as well.

The funeral home is responsible
for preparing the following documents:

Copy of the
Death Certificate

The disposition of
the Death Certificate should read as follows:

Box 17: Donation

Box 18:
Anatomical Gift Association or AGA

Box 19:
Chicago, IL

Box 20: Date of
Transportation to our facility

Burial or
Transit Permit

This permit is obtained from the Department of Public
Health or Local Registrar's office in the district where the death
occured. It can also be printed from the IVRS.

Cremation Permit

This
permit is obtained from the County Medical Examiner’s Office or the
Coroner’s Office, depending on where the death had taken place. If the
County Coroner’s Office cannot produce a cremation permit, please obtain
a signed affidavit giving us permission to cremate.

Donor Enrollment Form

The AGA will
accept donors who were not pre-registered. If the donor is not
registered, you may have the family or executor complete the Donor
Enrollment form on the behalf of the decedent. This will serve as a
release authorization for the donation. A copy of this form is available
on the AGA website (www.agaillinois.org)
under the Donation Process tab.

Authority to Cremate Form

All
donors are cremated according to state laws upon completion of their
benefit to the medical school which may last two years or more. We will
return the ashes via USPS Registered Mail to the Funeral Home or family
if designated on the Authority to Cremate form. A copy of this form is
available on the AGA website (www.agaillinois.org)
under the Donation Process tab. If you do not use this form, you
must use a comparable form
indicating permission to cremate and a signed letter indicating the
final disposition of the cremains.

Please note that donors may be sent out to a school
immediately, therefore it is important that we receive all the required
documentation as soon as it is available.

Qualifications for
Acceptance

The AGA reserves the right to
decline a donor on behalf of the medical school it represents if, in its
opinion, it is not suitable for study. If you have any questions about a potential donor and their suitability for
anatomic study, please contact the AGA before transferring them to our
facility.

The following conditions will not be accepted:

Donors with the following infectious
disease:

AIDS/HIV Positive

Tuberculosis

Hepatitis A, B, C or D

Meningitis

Herpes

MRSA, VRSA, or VRE

Clostridium
Difficile

Klebsiella
Pneumoniae Carbapenemases (KPC)

Jakob-Cruetzfeldt
Disease (Mad Cow)

Shigella

Salmonella

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

Cryptospiridium

Isospora Belli

The AGA
reserves the right to decline a body if it has a communicable
medical condition at the time of death that is not listed above.

Donors that are severely decomposed

Donors who weigh over 300 lbs.

Donors who have had a recent abdominal surgery

Those who have donated organs other than their
brain, kidneys, or eyes

Donor who are disfigured by fire or accident
such as a car crash

Donors containing tissue gas

Donors with prolonged exposure to water or the
elements

Case by case acceptance:

Autopsy and surgery cases: The AGA has a limited
need for these types of donations.

Donors from which
organs, tissues, or bones have been donated may be accepted. Please
contact the AGA for further information.

The AGA will accept donors:

Over the age of 18

Who have
donated their eyes, brain, and/or kidneys

Who have
had amputations of a limb; however, we do not accept the amputated
portions

Final Disposition of Remains

Medical schools may study the remains of a donor for an average of
two to three years. After
the study is complete, the AGA and associates will respectfully cremate
remains according to the laws and regulations of the State of Illinois.

The final disposition of cremains, upon completion of service, will be
determined by the information provided on the Donor Enrollment form and/or
Authority to Cremate form. Cremains will be returned if requested at no
expense. The AGA will contact the person designated to receive the cremains
before mailing them.

If the family does not request the cremains be returned, the AGA will assume
responsibility for disposition and will inter the cremains at a local
cemetery.